At the age of 33, Vijender is a three-year pro. A contender at 168 pounds, he had a tremendous amateur career before his debut – he was a three-time Olympian for India in 2004, 2008, and 2012, and won an Olympic bronze medal in 2008. He also had impressive amateur wins against Badou Jack, now a two-division champion as a pro, and middleweight contender Sergey Derevyanchenko.
He is a national hero and celebrity in his native India and has appeared on numerous television shows and films.
Vijender recently signed a promotional contract with Top Rank, and said, “I am really excited to be on board with Bob Arum and Top Rank. I have always wanted to work with someone who is the best in the business, and I know Top Rank has been the driving force behind boxing’s biggest superstars, including Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, and Miguel Cotto.
“I am eagerly waiting a date for my U.S. debut to take on the world and keep the Indian flag on the world boxing map fluttering high. I also want to thank Mr. Neerav Tomar and IOS Boxing Promotions for helping get me to this point of my professional career, and I look forward to working with Top Rank.”
In his last fight on December 23, 2017, in Jaipur, India, Vijender won a 10-round unanimous decision against Ghanian middleweight champion Ernest Amuzu.
Indiatoday.in’s Rohan Sen reported [excerpts]: Star Indian boxer Vijender Singh on Saturday maintained his unbeaten record as he defeated Ernest Amuzu from Ghana by unanimous decision in the Rajasthan Rumble fight in front of a packed Sawai Mansingh stadium.
Vijender didn’t need to go all out throughout the fight as Amuzu proved to be no match in front of the Haryana boxer’s power and reach.
He obviously had the advantage of a longer reach over Amuzu and he used it to full effect.
Vijender usually takes the first couple of rounds to size up his opponent and he did exactly that against Amuzu and till about the fourth round kept landing punches to stay ahead in the judges scorecards.
But it was from the fifth round that Vijender started his onslaught on Amuzu landing one blow after another on the Ghana boxer’s face and body with equal affect.
Amuzu, who has never been knocked out in his career, started to wobble by the sixth round but somehow managed to stay on his feet and lasted the next four rounds but by then everybody knew what the outcome of the fight is going to be.
Amuzu was then just trying to delay the inevitable as Vijender kept on landing heavy blows.
In the final round it seemed like Vijender had pulled up a muscle as he held back on his attack and just concentrated on his defense because he knew that he was way ahead in the scoresheets.
As the bell rang in the final round Vijender shook hands with his opponent, raised his hands and went back to his corner.
Moments later the presenter read out the scores as all three judges ruled in favour of Vijender with Amuzu recording his third career defeat. [End Sen item]
AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: From BeAnInspirer.com, by Raj Kumar Hansdah [Oct. 27, 2017 – excerpts]: Vijender Singh was born on 29 October, 1985, in a jat family, in Kaluwas village near Bhiwani in Haryana. His father, Mahipal Singh Beniwal, was a Haryana Roadways driver, and his mother, a housewife. Vijender started schooling in his village and then moved on to Bhiwani from where he did his High School and Graduation.
To better his job prospects, Vijender and his elder brother Manoj decided to learn boxing. His parents supported him to pursue boxing as a career. Vijender practiced at the Bhiwani Boxing Club. The Indian Boxing coach Jagdish Singh recognised his talent and encouraged him to take up boxing. Vijender worked part-time, also as a model, to finance his boxing coaching.
His dedication paid off when he won a bout in the state level competition. In 1997 Vijender won a silver medal in his first sub-junior nationals. He then bagged his first gold medal at the 2000 Nationals. In 2003, he became the all-India youth boxing champion and in the same year in Afro-Asian Games he won a silver medal.
In the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, Vijender participated in the welterweight division, but could not win a medal. At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, he won the bronze medal; and qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Vijender prepared hard for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, during which he trained in Germany and practised with boxers from European countries. At The AIBA President’s Cup boxing tournament, before the Olympics, he defeated Bakhtiar Artayev, the 2004 Olympic Games gold medallist. At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, he reached to semi-finals and got a bronze medal. This was the first ever Olympic medal for an Indian boxer. He got a hero’s welcome in India.
In July 2009, Vijender was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, which is India’s highest sporting honour. Later, Vijender accepted a job with the Haryana Police department.
In January 2010, Vijender was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. Same year, he won a silver medal in the invitational Champions of Champions boxing tournament in China.
The 2008 Olympic win made Vijender a celebrity in the mainstream media. Vijender promoted the sports of boxing in India and inspired the young generation to take up boxing. He also exhorted people to promote other sports other than cricket. Vijender also appeared on several national television shows like Salman Khan’s game show “10 Ka Dum,” “Nach Baliye,” “Roadies,” etc.
He also starred in a Bollywood movie Fugly in 2014, which was produced by Grazing Goat Productions, owned by Akshay Kumar.
On 17 May 2011, Vijender married Archana Singh, a software engineer, in Delhi. The couple have one child, son Arbir Singh. [End Hansdah item]
AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS:
2014 COMMONWEALTH GAMES – Glasgow, Scotland, 165 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST: in his first fight on 7-26-14 he won a 3-0 decision against Andrew Kometa of Kiribati; in his second fight on 7-28-14 he won a 3-0 decision against Mujandjae Kasuto of Namibia; in the quarterfinals on 7-30-14 he won a 3-0 decision against Aaron Prince of Trinidad; in the semifinals on 8-1-14 he won a 3-0 decision against Conor Coyle of Ireland; in the finals on 8-2-14 he lost a 3-0 decision against Anthony Fowler of England…
2012 OLYMPIC GAMES – London, England, 165 pounds: in his first fight on 7-28-12 he won a 14-10 decision against Donabek Suzhanov of Kazakhstan; in his second fight on 8-2-12 he won a 16-15 decision against Terrell Gausha of United States; in the quarterfinals on 8-6-12 he lost a 17-13 decision against Abbos Atoyev of Uzbekistan…
2012 ASIAN OLYMPIC QUALIFIER – Astana, Kazakhstan, 165 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in his first fight on 4-6-12 he won an 11-5 decision against Eshak Waez of Syria; in the quarterfinals on 4-8-12 he won a 27-17 decision against Chuluuntumur Tumurhuyag of Mongolia; in the semifinals on 4-11-12 he lost a 10-7 decision against Nursahat Paziyev of Turkmenistan…
2011 ARAFURA GAMES – Darwin, Australia, 178 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in his first fight on 5-10-11 he won an 18-6 decision against Jeremy van Diemen of Australia; in the semifinals on 5-12-11 he lost a 17-16 decision against Sam Rapira of New Zealand…
2010 ASIAN GAMES – Guangzhou, China, 165 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST: in his first fight on 11-17-10 he won a 9-4 decision against Yang Yu Ting of Taipei; in the quarterfinals on 11-20-10 he won a 13-2 decision against Deok-Jin Cho of South Korea; in the semifinals on 11-24-10 he won a 10-7 decision against Mohammad Sattarpoor of Iran; in the finals on 11-26-10 he won a 7-0 decision against Abbos Atoyev of Uzbekistan…
2010 COMMONWEALTH GAMES – New Delhi, India, 165 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in his first fight on 10-8-10 he stopped Dick Ombaka of Kenya in the 2nd round; in the quarterfinals on 10-10-10 he stopped Elias Nashivela of Namibia in the 1st round; in the semifinals on 10-11-10 he lost a 4-3 decision against Anthony Ogogo of England…
2010 COMMONWEALTH CHAMPIONSHIPS – New Delhi, India, 165 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST: in the quarterfinals (his first fight) on 3-13-10 he stopped Farkhan Mohdharon of Malaysia in the 2nd round; in the semifinals on 3-15-10 he stopped Selemani Kidunda of Tanzania in the 3rd round; in the finals on 3-17-10 he won a 13-3 decision against Frank Buglioni of England…
2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Milan, Italy, 165 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in his first fight on 9-5-09 he won a 14-8 decision against Azamat Beldibayev of Kazakhstan; in his second fight on 9-8-09 he won a 4-2 decision against Steve Rolls of Canada; in the quarterfinals on 9-9-09 he won a 12-4 decision against Sergey Derevyanchenko of Ukraine; in the semifinals on 9-11-09 he lost a 7-3 decision against Abbos Atoyev of Uzbekistan…
2009 ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – Zhuhai City, China, 165 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in his first fight on 6-9-09 he won a 10-7 decision against Abbos Atoyev of Uzbekistan; in the quarterfinals on 6-11-09 he won a 19-4 decision against Adilbek Niyazimbetov of Kazakhstan; in the semifinals on 6-12-09 he lost an 11-8 decision against Zhang Jianting of China…
2009 GRAND PRIX – Usti, Czech Republic, 165 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in the quarterfinals (his first fight) he stopped Panagiotis Trikaliotis of Greece in the 2nd round; in the semifinals on 5-15-09 he lost a 2-0 decision against Victor Cotiujanschi of Moldavia…
2008 OLYMPIC GAMES – Beijing, China, 165 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in his first fight on 8-9-08 he won a 13-2 decision against Badou Jack of Gambia; in his second fight on 8-16-08 he won a 13-3 decision against Angkhan Chomphuphuang of Thailand; in the quarterfinals on 8-20-08 he won a 9-4 decision against Carlos Gongora of Ecuador; in the semifinals on 8-22-08 he lost an 8-5 decision against Emilio Correa of Cuba…
2008 AIBA PRESIDENTS CUP – Taipei, Taiwan, 165 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in the quarterfinals (his first fight) on 5-27-08 he won a 12-7 decision against Bakhtyar Artayev of Kazakhstan; in the semifinals on 5-30-08 he lost a 15-10 decision against Angkhan Chomphuphuang of Thailand…
2008 ASIAN OLYMPIC QUALIFIER – Astana, Kazakhstan, 165 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST: in the quarterfinals (his first fight) on 3-20-08 he won a 23-10 decision against Mongontsooj Nandin-Erdene of Mongolia; in the semifinals on 3-22-08 he won a 19-13 decision against Hamyoun Amiri of Iran; in the finals on 3-23-08 he won a 16-13 decision against Cho Deok Jin of South Korea…
2008 ASIAN OLYMPIC QUALIFIER – Bangkok, Thailand, 165 pounds: in his first fight on 1-25-08 he won a 24-16 decision against Jasur Kurbanov of Tajikistan; in the quarterfinals on 1-28-08 he lost a 17-9 decision against Cho Deok Jin of South Korea…
2007 ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – Ulan Baatar, Mongolia, 165 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST: in his first fight on 6-5-07 he won a 19-14 decision against Wang Jianzheng of China; in the quarterfinals on 6-7-07 he won a 21-7 decision against Mustafa Farrah of Syria; in the semifinals on 6-9-07 he defeated Suriya Prasathinpimai of Thailand; in the finals on 6-10-07 he lost a 14-3 decision against Elshod Rasulov of Uzbekistan…
2007 KING’S CUP – Bangkok, Thailand, 165 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST: in the quarterfinals (his first fight) on 4-7-07 he won a 23-10 decision against Suriya Prasathinpimai of Thailand; in the semifinals on 4-9-07 he won a 19-14 decision against Kim Jae Ki of South Korea; in the finals on 4-10-07 he lost a 19-5 decision against Elshod Rasulov of Uzbekistan…
2006 ASIAN GAMES – Doha, Qatar, 165 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in his first fight on 12-5-06 he won a 34-18 decision against Mustafa Farrah of Syria; in the quarterfinals on 12-8-06 he stopped Shukuralla Atadjanov of Turkmenistan in the 2nd round; in the semifinals on 12-10-06 he lost a 29-24 decision against Bakhtyar Artayev of Kazakhstan…
2006 SOUTH ASIAN GAMES – Colombo, Sri Lanka, 165 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST: in the semifinals (his first fight) on 8-21-06 he won a 21-1 decision against P.R.D.Anuruddha Fernando of Sri Lanka; in the finals on 8-22-06 he won a 34-19 decision against Allah Bux of Pakistan…
2006 COMMONWEALTH GAMES – Melbourne, Australia, 152 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST: in his first fight on 3-17-06 he stopped Poleti Seipua of Samoa in the 3rd round; in his second fight on 3-19-06 he won a 25-11 decision against Alvyn Gabriel of Seychelles; in the quarterfinals on 3-22-06 he stopped Kris Carslaw of Scotland in the 2nd round; in the semifinals on 3-23-06 he won a 22-14 decision against Neil Perkins of England; in the finals on 3-25-06 he lost a 33-26 decision against Bongani Mwelase of South Africa…
2005 INDIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – Kalpakkam, India, 152 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST: in his first fight on 9-21-05 he stopped S.Khoba Singh; in the quarterfinals on 9-22-05 he stopped Mukesh Tiwari: in the semifinals on 9-23-05 he defeated Manish Chaudhary; in the finals on 9-24-05 he lost by walkover against Virender Singh…
2005 ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 152 pounds: in his first fight on 8-29-05 he stopped and identified opponent in the 2nd round; in the quarterfinals on 9-1-05 he lost a 22-20 decision against Reza Ghazzimi of Iran…
2005 GREEN HILL TOURNAMENT (Olympic Qualifier) – Karachi, Pakistan, 141 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST: in his first fight on 5-8-04 he won a 24-8 decision against Yukio Fukaishi of Japan; in the quarterfinals on 5-10-04 he won a 35-9 decision against Hadi Abdul Rahman of Qatar; in the semifinals on 5-11-04 he won a 27-24 decision against Morteza Sepahvandi of Iran; in the finals on 5-12-04 he lost a 32-19 decision against Faisal Karim of Pakistan…
2004 OLYMPIC GAMES – Athens, Greece, 141 pounds: in his first fight on 8-15-04 he lost a 25-20 decision against Mustafa Karagollu of Turkey…
2004 ACROPOLIS CUP (Olympic Test Event) – Athens, Greece, 141 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in the quarterfinals (his first fight) on 5-28-04 he won a 35-23 decision against Hicham Nafil of Morocco; in the semifinals on 5-29-04 he lost by walkover against Yudel Jhonson of Cuba…
2004 SOUTH ASIAN FEDERATION GAMES – Islamabad, Pakistan, 141 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST [incomplete results]: in the finals on 4-6-04 he lost against Faisal Karim of Pakistan…
2003 AFRO-ASIAN GAMES – Hyderabad, India, 141 pounds – SILVER MEDALIST: in the quarterfinals (his first fight) on 10-26-03 he won a 23-9 decision against Sadat Tebazalwa of Uganda; in the semifinals on 10-29-03 he won a 70-60 decision against Nurzhan Karimzhanov of Kazakhstan; in the finals on 10-31-03 he lost a 32-19 decision against Bakhyt Sarsekbayev of Uzbekistan…
2003 INDIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – Bangalore, India, 141 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST: in the semifinals (his first fight) on 9-13-03 he won a 25-13 decision against Venkateje Harikrishnan; in the finals on 9-14-03 he stopped Harvinder Singh in the 3rd round…
2003 BRANDENBURG JUNIOR CUP – Frankfurt n/Oder, Germany, 141 pounds: in his first fight on 7-17-03 he lost a 15-12 decision against Valentin Zainutdinov of Russia…
2003 INTERNATIONAL YMCA CUP – New Delhi, India, 141 pounds/junior division – GOLD MEDALIST: in the finals (his only fight) on 2-7-03 he won a 22-4 decision against Savan Kumar of India…
2001 INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR TOURNAMENT – Cottbus, Germany, 119 pounds: in the quarterfinals (his first fight) on 9-28-01 he had a 7-7 draw, but won the tiebreaker against David Sprenger of Germany; in the semifinals on 9-29-01 he stopped Danny Beyer of Germany in the 1st round; in the finals on 9-30-01 he lost a 14-9 decision against Kamal Kumar of India…
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 10 fights…50 total rounds…
AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 5 rounds…
KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 70 %…
DISTANCE FIGHTS: 10 rounds – 3 (3-0)…
